اِنَّ Indeed اللّٰهَ Allah عٰلِمُ (is the) Knower غَیْبِ (of the) unseen السَّمٰوٰتِ (of) the heavens وَ الْاَرْضِ ؕ and the earth اِنَّهٗ Indeed, He عَلِیْمٌۢ (is the) All-Knower بِذَاتِ of what (is) in the breasts الصُّدُوْرِ of what (is) in the breasts 35. Fatir Page 439 هُوَ He الَّذِیْ (is) the One Who جَعَلَكُمْ made you خَلٰٓىِٕفَ successors فِی in الْاَرْضِ ؕ the earth فَمَنْ And whoever كَفَرَ disbelieves فَعَلَیْهِ then upon him كُفْرُهٗ ؕ (is) his disbelief وَ لَا And not یَزِیْدُ increase الْكٰفِرِیْنَ the disbelievers كُفْرُهُمْ their disbelief عِنْدَ near رَبِّهِمْ their Lord اِلَّا except مَقْتًا ۚ (in) hatred وَ لَا and not یَزِیْدُ increase الْكٰفِرِیْنَ the disbelievers كُفْرُهُمْ their disbelief اِلَّا except خَسَارًا (in) loss قُلْ Say اَرَءَیْتُمْ Have you seen شُرَكَآءَكُمُ your partners الَّذِیْنَ those whom تَدْعُوْنَ you call مِنْ besides دُوْنِ besides اللّٰهِ ؕ Allah اَرُوْنِیْ Show Me مَا ذَا what خَلَقُوْا they have created مِنَ from الْاَرْضِ the earth اَمْ or لَهُمْ for them شِرْكٌ (is) a share فِی in السَّمٰوٰتِ ۚ the heavens اَمْ Or اٰتَیْنٰهُمْ have We given them كِتٰبًا a Book فَهُمْ so they عَلٰی (are) on بَیِّنَتٍ a clear proof مِّنْهُ ۚ therefrom بَلْ Nay اِنْ not یَّعِدُ promise الظّٰلِمُوْنَ the wrongdoers بَعْضُهُمْ some of them بَعْضًا (to) others اِلَّا except غُرُوْرًا delusion اِنَّ Indeed اللّٰهَ Allah یُمْسِكُ upholds السَّمٰوٰتِ the heavens وَ الْاَرْضَ and the earth اَنْ lest تَزُوْلَا ۚ۬ they cease وَ لَىِٕنْ And if زَالَتَاۤ they should cease اِنْ not اَمْسَكَهُمَا can uphold them مِنْ any اَحَدٍ one مِّنْۢ after Him بَعْدِهٖ ؕ after Him اِنَّهٗ Indeed, He كَانَ is حَلِیْمًا Most Forbearing غَفُوْرًا Oft-Forgiving وَ اَقْسَمُوْا And they swore بِاللّٰهِ by Allah جَهْدَ (the) strongest اَیْمَانِهِمْ (of) their oaths لَىِٕنْ that if جَآءَهُمْ came to them نَذِیْرٌ a warner لَّیَكُوْنُنَّ surely they would be اَهْدٰی more guided مِنْ than اِحْدَی any الْاُمَمِ ۚ (of) the nations فَلَمَّا But when جَآءَهُمْ came to them نَذِیْرٌ a warner مَّا not زَادَهُمْ it increased them اِلَّا but نُفُوْرَاۙ (in) aversion ِ۟اسْتِكْبَارًا (Due to) arrogance فِی in الْاَرْضِ the land وَ مَكْرَ and plotting السَّیِّئِ ؕ (of) the evil وَ لَا but not یَحِیْقُ encompasses الْمَكْرُ the plot السَّیِّئُ (of) the evil اِلَّا except بِاَهْلِهٖ ؕ its own people فَهَلْ Then do یَنْظُرُوْنَ they wait اِلَّا except سُنَّتَ (the) way الْاَوَّلِیْنَ ۚ (of) the former (people) فَلَنْ But never تَجِدَ you will find لِسُنَّتِ in (the) way اللّٰهِ (of) Allah تَبْدِیْلًا ۚ۬ any change وَ لَنْ and never تَجِدَ you will find لِسُنَّتِ in (the) way اللّٰهِ (of) Allah تَحْوِیْلًا any alteration اَوَ لَمْ Have they not یَسِیْرُوْا traveled فِی in الْاَرْضِ the land فَیَنْظُرُوْا and seen كَیْفَ how كَانَ was عَاقِبَةُ (the) end الَّذِیْنَ (of) those who مِنْ (were) before them قَبْلِهِمْ (were) before them وَ كَانُوْۤا And they were اَشَدَّ stronger مِنْهُمْ than them قُوَّةً ؕ (in) power وَ مَا But not كَانَ is اللّٰهُ Allah لِیُعْجِزَهٗ that can escape (from) Him مِنْ any شَیْءٍ thing فِی in السَّمٰوٰتِ the heavens وَ لَا and not فِی in الْاَرْضِ ؕ the earth اِنَّهٗ Indeed, He كَانَ is عَلِیْمًا All-Knower قَدِیْرًا All-Powerful 35. Fatir Page 440 وَ لَوْ And if یُؤَاخِذُ Allah (were to) punish اللّٰهُ Allah (were to) punish النَّاسَ the people بِمَا for what كَسَبُوْا they have earned مَا not تَرَكَ He would leave عَلٰی on ظَهْرِهَا its back مِنْ any دَآبَّةٍ creature وَّ لٰكِنْ But یُّؤَخِّرُهُمْ He gives them respite اِلٰۤی till اَجَلٍ a term مُّسَمًّی ۚ appointed فَاِذَا And when جَآءَ comes اَجَلُهُمْ their term فَاِنَّ then indeed اللّٰهَ Allah كَانَ is بِعِبَادِهٖ of His slaves بَصِیْرًا۠ All-Seer
(35:38) Surely Allah knows the Unseen in the heavens and the earth. He even knows the secrets hidden in people's breasts.
(35:39) It is He Who made you vicegerents in the earth.64 So whoever disbelieves will bear the burden of his unbelief.65 The unbelievers' unbelief adds nothing but Allah's wrath against them. The unbelievers' unbelief adds nothing but their own loss.
(35:40) Say to them (O Prophet): “Have you ever seen those of your associates 66 upon whom you call apart from Allah? Show me what have they created in the earth? Or do they have any partnership (with Allah) in the heavens? Or have We given them a Book so that they have a clear proof (for associating others with Allah in His Divinity)?”67 Nay, what these wrong-doers promise each other is nothing but delusion.68
(35:41) Surely Allah holds the heavens and the earth, lest they should be displaced there, for if they were displaced none would be able to hold them after Him.69Surely He is Most Forbearing, Most Forgiving.70
(35:42) Swearing by Allah their strongest oaths they claimed that if a warner came to them they would be better-guided than any other people.71 But when a warner did come to them, his coming only increased their aversion (to the Truth).
(35:43) They began to wax even more proud on earth and contrived evil designs although the contriving of evil designs only overtakes their authors. Are they waiting, then, for anything except what happened to the nations before them?72 You shall not find any change in the Way of Allah; and you shall not find anything that can ever alter the Way of Allah.
(35:44) Have they not journeyed in the earth to behold the end of those who went before them though they were stronger than them in might? Nothing in the heavens nor on earth can frustrate Him in the least. He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.
(35:45) If Allah were to take people to task for their deeds, He would not leave any living creature on earth, but He grants them respite to an appointed time. When their appointed time comes to an end, surely Allah fully observes His servants.
64. This has two possible meanings:
(i) That God settled them in the land after the passing away of the earlier generations and nations.
(ii) They enjoyed authority not as owners and masters, but as vicegerents of the True Lord on earth.
65. If the earlier statement is understood to mean that the Muslims were made successors of earlier nations, then this statement means the following: those who do not draw any lesson from the tragic end of past nations and persist in the same unbelief that brought those nations to their catastrophic ends, they will eventually witness the same tragic end that overtook these iniquitous nations of the past.
This statement can also mean that those who disregard their position as God’s vicegerents, who arrogate sovereign authority to themselves, and who worship others besides the One True Lord will face terrible consequences for their defiance.
66. The expression used here is “your associates”. The significance of this seems to be that in point of fact these deities are not God’s associates, rather, it is the polytheists who falsely set them up as God’s associates.
67. The polytheists and unbelievers are pointedly asked whether they have any written sanction from God indicating that He had, for instance, granted certain people the power to cure the sick, or to provide jobs to the unemployed, or to meet the needs of those in distress? No, God has not conferred any such authority upon them. They can neither make nor mar anyone’s fate. God has not directed mankind to invoke them or to make offerings to them. They are, therefore, asked to produce evidence in support of their beliefs, if they have any. Now, since they cannot produce such, they had better reconsider their polytheistic beliefs and practices.
They are asked to come forward with specific proofs indicating that their idols are indeed God’s associates. They, however, have nothing to put forward for there is nothing in any Scripture that lends support to such a notion. Nor do these idols possess any authority from God on the basis of which they have been ascribed special powers. If they have nothing to support their position, they might as well ask themselves: did they own Godhead that made it possible for them to go about lavishing God’s powers on whomsoever they wished?
68. These misguided religious leaders, so-called saints and clergymen, preachers, soothsayers and their accomplices exploit the common people.
They invent false stories in order to convince them that their devotion to such an idol will carry them to success in this world and to salvation in the Hereafter.
69. It is God Who keeps the universe intact. No angel, or jinn, no Messenger or saint oversees the workings of the universe. Far from sustaining the universe, those mentioned above cannot maintain even themselves. For, everyone is totally dependent upon God for everything, even as regards his birth and survival. It is thus sheer folly and deception to consider anyone to be God’s partner either in His attributes or authority.
70. This underscores God's great forbearance whereby He does not instantly punish the guilty even if they adopt a blasphemous posture towards Him.
71. This was the Arabs’ usual comment, especially the Quraysh’s, relating to the moral degeneration of the Jews and Christians in pre- Islamic days. Such statements by them are also recorded in Surah al-An‘am 6:156-157 and Surah al-Saffat 37:167-169.
72. This law is applicable to them in so far as every nation that rejects its Prophet is destroyed.